Estudio sobre la percepción de los estudiantes de Bachillerato en Enfermería al utilizar la evaluación clínica objetiva estructurada (ECOE) en simulación clínica en cursos de enfermería en Puerto Rico

Abstract

This study aims to explore a representative sample of undergraduate nursing students’ perception on the use of the Objective Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE / ECOE) in nursing courses in a university of Puerto Rico. The OSCE is an educational methodology internationally recognized for its validity and reliability when evaluating clinical competencies in professionals within the field of health sciences in a formative and (or) summative manner (Harden, 2016; Abdulghani, Ponnamperuma & Amin, 2015). This study follows a quantitative, nonexperimental, descriptive, transversal design. Information was gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire with open-ended questions and closed-ended items using a Likert scale. Central tendency, dispersion, frequency, percentages and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for statistical analysis. Open-ended questions related to strengths, limitations and recommendations on the OSCE mentioned by students were examined using content analysis. The percentage and absolute distribution of students per item for the questionnaire used in this study revealed that participants perceived the OSCE as a helpful tool in the evaluation of nursing skills. Moreover, the results proved the effectiveness of OSCE for measuring the achievement of professional competencies in nursing courses when considering the students’ input. Using the students’ views regarding the strengths and limitations of the OSCE, room for improvement was identified upon using it in nursing courses.